"A day in the life" - telemedicine in family medicine and its relationship with practicing physicians' satisfaction: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Telemedicine has expanded rapidly in recent years, and many encounters that were conducted in person now take place remotely. This study aimed to assess primary care physicians' (PCPs) attitudes towards the different modalities of patient care.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional nationwide descriptive study conducted in Israel.

Frailty and its association with long-term mortality among community-dwelling older adults aged 75 years and over.

Background: Frailty, a significant risk factor for adverse outcomes and mortality, poses an emerging challenge with profound implications for public health and clinical practice. The measurement of frailty offers potential enhancements in healthcare services for older adults. The prevalence of frailty and its association with long-term mortality in a nationwide, unselected population of community-dwelling older adults, particularly those aged 75 and over, has not been previously studied on a large scale in Israel.

An After-Hours Telemedicine Urgent Care Service May Not Improve Access to Care for Underserved Populations.

After-hours telemedicine services for emergency care are thought to offer a solution for patients who live at a distance from traditional face-to-face emergency services. This study evaluates such a service in a Health Maintenance Organization, focusing on the differences between central and peripheral populations. In this cross-sectional database study, we collected data regarding the encounter and patient characteristics, including prescriptions, referrals for further evaluation in a traditional emergency department (ED), and the distance from a traditional ED.

Impact of Remote Medical Devices on Utilization of Medical Services in Pediatric Patients with Upper Respiratory Infections: A Retrospective Study.

Remote mobile examination devices in telemedicine are a new technology in healthcare. To assess the utilization of visits using remote medical devices. A retrospective analysis of follow-up visits, referrals, laboratory testing and antibiotic prescriptions of 470,845 children's video visits with and without remote medical examination device and in-clinic visits.

Abdominal fat depots are related to lower cognitive functioning and brain volumes in middle-aged males at high Alzheimer's risk.

Objective: High BMI, which poorly represents specific fat depots, is linked to poorer cognition and higher dementia risk, with different associations between sexes. This study examined associations of abdominal fat depots with cognition and brain volumes and whether sex modifies this association.

Methods: A total of 204 healthy middle-aged offspring of Alzheimer's dementia patients (mean age = 59.

Amyloid deposition and small vessel disease are associated with cognitive function in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is associated with cognitive decline, but the underlying mechanisms are complex and their relationship with Alzheimer's Disease biomarkers is not fully understood. We assessed the association of small vessel disease (SVD) and amyloid burden with cognitive functioning in 47 non-demented older adults with type-2 diabetes from the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline Study (mean age 78Y, 64% females). FLAIR-MRI, Vizamyl amyloid-PET, and T1W-MRI quantified white matter hyperintensities as a measure of SVD, amyloid burden, and gray matter (GM) volume, respectively.

Poor self-rated health is associated with faster cognitive decline and greater small vessel disease in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Self-rated health (SRH) is a predictor for poor health outcomes and cognition. Older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) have multi-morbidity and greater cognitive impairment. In the present study we investigated the association of SRH with cognitive decline and brain pathology in older adults with T2D.

The critical factors for COVID-19 vaccination uptake are perceived ‎vaccine effectiveness and the desire to protect others.

The proportion of the population vaccinated in Israel against COVID-19 in 2021 was significantly higher than that of the annual uptake rates of the influenza vaccine over time. Understanding the reasons behind the high vaccination rate may facilitate maintaining these rates if annual COVID-19 vaccination is required. Using a mixed-methods design, we characterized the individuals who were vaccinated and studied their attitudes toward vaccines and motivators for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Amyloid deposition and small vessel disease are associated with cognitive function in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is associated with cognitive decline, but the underlying mechanisms are complex and their relationship with Alzheimer's Disease biomarkers is not fully understood. We assessed the association of small vessel disease (SVD) and amyloid burden with cognitive functioning in 47 non-demented older adults with type-2 diabetes from the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline Study (mean age 78Y, 64% females). FLAIR-MRI, Vizamyl amyloid-PET, and T1W-MRI quantified white matter hyperintensities as a measure of SVD, amyloid burden, and gray matter (GM) volume, respectively.

Neuroticism is associated with increase in depression symptoms over time in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: The likelihood of depression symptoms in those with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is high. Psychological risk factors enhancing comorbidity of depression symptoms in T2D are yet to be determined. The present study examines the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between personality traits and distinct depression dimensions in older adults with T2D.

Behavioral and Brain Correlates of Emotional Distress in Older Adults During COVID-19 Quarantine.

COVID-19 led to unprecedented lockdowns and changes in older adults' lives, especially those with type 2 diabetes who have high risk of complications and mortality. We investigated the associations of cognitive and motor function and gray matter volumes (GMVs) with COVID-19 lockdown-related emotional distress of type 2 diabetes older adults, participating in the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline Study. We administered a questionnaire to obtain information about anxiety, depression, general well-being, and optimism during a mandated lockdown.

Neural correlates of subjective cognitive decline in adults at high risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Recently, interest has emerged in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) as a potential precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Whether individuals with SCD harbor brain alterations in midlife, when AD-related pathology begins, is yet to be elucidated. Furthermore, the role of apolipoprotein ε4 ( ε) allele, a robust AD risk factor, in the relationship between SCD and brain alterations is unknown.

Intra-articular and soft-tissue corticosteroid injections and risk of infections: Population-based self-controlled-risk-interval design.

Purpose: Chronic and short-term treatment with oral corticosteroids is associated with an increased risk of infection. However, the potential risk of infection that may be associated with intra-articular and soft-tissue injections of corticosteroids has not been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the risk for infection following intra-articular or soft-tissue corticosteroid injections.

Decrease in Gait Speed Over Time Is Associated With Increase in Number of Depression Symptoms in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of motor functions with depression in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Participants (n = 984) were from the longitudinal Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline (IDCD) study. They were initially cognitively normal and underwent evaluations of motor functions (grip strength and gait speed) and of depression (using the 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]) approximately every 18 months.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care physicians in Israel, with comparison to an international cohort: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on primary care and primary care physicians (PCPs) in Israel and around the world. There is paucity of information regarding treatment of patients with COVID-19 in the community, since most research was performed in hospitals. The aim of this study was to describe the Israeli PCPs' experience.

Alzheimer's Disease Polygenic Risk Score Is Not Associated With Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objectives: Multiple risk loci for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) have been identified. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the association of polygenic risk score (PRS) for LOAD with overall cognitive functioning and longitudinal decline, among older adults with T2D.

Greater intake of the MEDI diet is associated with better cognitive trajectory in older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: To determine associations of three dietary patterns (Mediterranean (MEDI) diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and the Mediterranean- DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet) with cognitive decline in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D).

Methods: This is a longitudinal observational study. Participants (N = 960) from the Israel Diabetes and Cognitive Decline (IDCD) study were included in this study.

Consumption of Ultra-Processed Food and Cognitive Decline among Older Adults With Type-2 Diabetes.

Background: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is related to increased morbidity and mortality. However, knowledge on its association with cognitive function is lacking. In this longitudinal study, we examined the associations between UPF intake and cognitive decline in older adults with type-2 diabetes (T2D).

Thicker macula in asymptomatic Ɛ4 middle-aged adults at high AD risk.

Introduction: We compared retinal layers' thickness between apolipoprotein E () Ɛ4 carriers and non-carriers in a cohort of cognitively normal middle-aged adults enriched for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk.

Methods: Participants (N = 245) underwent spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Multivariate analyses of covariance adjusting for age, sex, education, and best corrected vision acuity was used to compare retinal thickness between groups.

Long-term trajectories and current BMI are associated with poorer cognitive functioning in middle-aged adults at high Alzheimer's disease risk.

Introduction: We examined relationships of body mass index (BMI) with cognition in middle-aged adults at Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk due to parental family history.

Methods: Participants are offspring of AD patients from the Israel Registry of Alzheimer's Prevention (N = 271). Linear regressions assessed associations of BMI and cognition, and whether associations differed by maternal/paternal history.

Real-world safety data for the Pfizer BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: historical cohort study.

Objective: The Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine showed a reassuring safety profile in clinical trials, but real-world data are scarce. Bell's palsy, herpes zoster, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and other neurological complaints in proximity to vaccination have received special public attention. We compared their rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.